


ransom's (styrofoam) balls

by hey_you_with_the_face



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Craft Store, Holster is a goober, M/M, Not Hockey Player Ransom, Ransom is a Cashier, based on a funny sign, meet cute, styrofoam balls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-18
Updated: 2018-04-18
Packaged: 2019-04-24 11:02:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14354124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hey_you_with_the_face/pseuds/hey_you_with_the_face
Summary: All Ransom wanted to do was get through his shifts at his crappy craft store job and be left alone. Babysitting a large, muscled customer was not part of the job description...





	ransom's (styrofoam) balls

**Author's Note:**

> I needed some fluff to break past some smut block on my DCJ big bang and I saw a funny sign while out shopping that kick started a plot bunny so, yeah...here it is. :)

Ransom instinctively looked up at the dull ding-dong of the store’s bell and grimaced.

When he’d reluctantly taken a position as a cashier at a local surplus/craft store, Ransom hadn’t had any delusions that it would be a fun job but he’d known it was necessary. School was expensive even with his grants and loans and having extra cash wasn’t always a bad thing. Especially when considering how much food and beer was required to keep him sane during the rough times of college because balancing school, working out, and college parties was a lot of work. 

But he hadn’t figured on the Hockey Bro.

The Hockey Bro referred to the giant dude who tended to come into the store with a woman half his size. The name came from the Samwell Hockey team sweatshirt the guy was typically sporting plus it really seemed to suit the guy. He definitely had the size to be a hockey player. 

Usually when Hockey Bro and who Ransom assumed was Hockey Bro’s girlfriend came into the store, the woman would wander around the store, picking up various bits and bobs and tossing them into the basket Hockey Bro carried around. While Hockey Bro didn’t seem too enthused about wandering around holding his girlfriend’s art supplies, at least he was preoccupied for the length of his visit. So as long as this was the case, Ransom didn’t have a problem with the guy. 

It was on the days Hockey Bro came in on his own to pick up his girlfriend’s supplies that drove Ransom insane.

On these occasions it became to be a very very unpleasant habit for Hockey Bro to cause chaos in the store. Ransom couldn’t count (well, he could but it was entirely too many times for him to care) how many times he’d needed to clean up broken jars of paint or had to reorganize all the knick knacks or a million other things but the styrofoam section was the worst.

Ransom wasn’t sure what exactly was so damn appealing about styrofoam balls but whatever the fuck it was, Hockey Bro was like a cat that had found piece of wrapping paper. He tossed them around, threw them at the woven baskets, cheering loudly when they went in, and was essentially a nuisance. Ransom really did lose count of how many times he’d had to politely ask the guy to not play with the styrofoam please.

He’d very patiently explained on multiple occasions that not only did he risk damaging other store merchandise, but ruining the styrofoam balls themselves. Several customers constantly gave Ransom hell because the exact size of styrofoam ball they needed was dented or crumbled into pieces and he was tired of it. 

So this time, he’d made a sign.

Okay, so maybe a sign wasn’t the best way to go but it was the next logical step. Maybe if Hockey Bro saw the (very official looking, if Ransom said so himself) sign, just maybe, the idea would sink in and Ransom would finally have some peace. He’d put the sign up right after Hockey Bro’s last solo visit and since then, he’d been lucky enough that the guy had only shown up in the company of his girlfriend for the past two weeks but he had witnessed them entering the styrofoam aisle. If he was lucky, Hockey Bro’s girlfriend would point it out to the guy and that would be the end of it.

 

Ransom was not that lucky.

He glared daggers at aisle 3 as two small styrofoam balls bounced up and down in the air over the shelves. His hand clenched around the highlighter he held poised over his organic chem book. Oh fuck no, this was not fucking happening today.

Today was supposed to be a quiet day. A day that Ransom could use to study because he had the mother of all tests tomorrow morning at eight am sharp. It was not supposed to be a day where he had to clean up after Hockey Bro’s messes and deal with the guy’s goddamn obsession with styrofoam balls.

_Okay, let’s just try talking to the guy again,_ Ransom reasoned with the part of himself that was itching to shove a few styrofoam balls up Hockey Bro’s ass. _Maybe if I’m reasonable, the guy might go on his way and leave. Yeah, that could work. I’ll just walk over and politely---_

Any chance of Ransom falling back to the usual plan vanished at the distinct sound of three dozen recently stocked styrofoam balls cascading to the floor.

That was fucking it.

Ransom shut his chem book with a decisive thud before slipping off his stool behind the counter. He marched over to aisle three and lo and behold, he found Hockey Bro kneeling on the floor with an arm full of styrofoam balls. 

For a brief second, Ransom was stuck by how oddly adorable Hockey Bro looked with his blushing cheeks and his sheepish grin but this small moment of distraction evaporated when his eyes took in the utter chaos in aisle three. The only way to describe it was a styrofoam explosion and the sight got Ransom’s blood boiling again. Add in the already tenuous grip Ransom had on his sanity thanks to school, he really couldn’t be blamed for his reaction.

“Dude, what the fuck?! Stop playing with my balls!!!!”

Large blue eyes widened even further in reaction to Ransom’s completely idiotic outburst and, as he realized what the hell he’d just literally screamed in the middle of his place of employment, Ransom’s quickly followed. Oh shit, had he really just said that?!?

Heat flushed over Ransom’s face and he fought the urge to retreat to the register in hopes of hiding under the counter for the rest of eternity. He was the damn idiot who’d opened his stupid mouth now he was going to have to deal with consequences. Hockey Bro blinked rapidly a few times before a grin took over his shocked expression.

_Oh great, here we go,_ Ransom thought, clenching a fist in preparation of being humiliated. 

“Sorry for the mess,” the guy said, though who he thought he was trying to charm with that smile, Ransom wasn’t sure. He certainly didn’t feel a flutter in his stomach at the sight of it. 

“But I would definitely never play with a dude’s balls---”

Ransom rolled his eyes. Oh good, time for the ‘no homo, bro’ portion of the day. He should’ve seen this coming as soon as he’d realized what he’d said. Leave it to Hockey Bro to continue the grand tradition of being a douch---

“---Without asking him to dinner first,” Hockey Bro continued before he smiled again and dropped some styrofoam balls in order to hold out his hand. The expression on his face more focused in a way that made Ransom shiver pleasantly. “Speaking of which, the name’s Holster.” He paused for a second before shrugging. “Well actually, it’s Adam but I’ll answer to Holster faster.”

Well, this was certainly not the outcome Ransom had envisioned. Officially off kilter, Ransom responded instinctively by shaking Holster’s hand (it was pleasantly warm he noticed). “No, I get it. Somewhere along the way I picked up Ransom and it’s stuck ever since. I’m pretty sure my roommate doesn’t even know my name is Justin.”

Holster grinned. “Ha, cool name,” he said. Ransom noticed that while they were no longer shaking hands, Holster had yet to let his hand go. As if sensing this thought, Holster’s eyes flicked down at their hands before looking back up at him. “So, about dinner…”

 

While Ransom didn’t manage to get as much studying done that day as he’d wanted, he had to admit it turned out to be a pretty awesome day. He got to have dinner at his favorite mexican place with a guy who wasn’t just hot but cool and funny and he ended the night with a new number in his phone and his lips tingling pleasantly on the steps of his dorm.

_I never thought I’d say this_ , Ransom thought as he let himself into his room. He smiled as his phone pinged and his newest contact popped up on the screen. _But thank god for stupid styrofoam balls._

**Author's Note:**

> This is the sign I saw at a local store that caused all this:  
>   
> 


End file.
